'El Chapo' Guzman's lawyers say he's suffering 'hallucinations' while locked down in isolation

pulse

March 16, 2017 9:41 PM

Guzman's US lawyers are again arguing to a judge that the former kingpin is suffering under the conditions he faces in prison.

Guzman arrives at Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York on January 19 after his extradition from Mexico.

Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has spent just seven weeks in custody in the US, but his lawyers say the isolation he's been kept in here, coupled with the harsh treatment he received in Mexico over the previous year, have been deleterious for his health.

In a 24-page filing submitted to the judge in the Eastern District of New York on Monday, Guzman's legal representatives asked the court to modify or remove the special administrative measures in place against their client.

Guzman's current lawyers said he had been relegated to his cell for the vast majority of the day and that requests to change the conditions inside the cell or have outside contact had received no response.

According to their letter:

Building on arguments made by Guzman's lawyers when was held in Mexico, Guzman's US attorneys said his confinement in the US, which they say is "far more extreme" than conditions in Mexico, had caused him both mental and physical distress.

"As a result, Mr. Guzman’s physical and mental health have deteriorated further since his arrival in the United States," they write. "He has difficulty breathing and suffers from a sore throat and headaches. He has recently been experiencing auditory hallucinations, complaining of hearing music in his cell even when the radio is turned off."

Guzman's current lawyers are both public defenders.

US prosecutors have asked the court to "

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